


Common People

by julietophelia



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Power of Song Does Not Heal All Wounds, F/M, Multi, breakups (friend and otherwise), minor bughead and choni, post-2x14, slightly canon divergent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-04-21 09:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14282286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julietophelia/pseuds/julietophelia
Summary: Old friends grow apart. Toni tries to embrace a new life. Jughead picks a side.





	1. We don't talk enough

As Jughead placed his hand over Betty’s, he willed himself to believe nothing had changed. The powder keg had gone off, yet they were still here. Together. The four of them in a booth at Pop’s, the way it was meant to be. No matter how bad things got, they would always come back to this. He had nothing to be terrified of.

A familiar voice behind him shook him out of his thoughts. A familiar laugh, to be specific.

“Toni?” He glanced over his shoulder. “And _Cheryl?_ ”

They looked deep in conversation. Friendly conversation, intimate even. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the group. Betty looked irritated, but he couldn’t help glancing back a few times. Toni and Cheryl existed in entirely different universes in his head. Seeing them side by side was like seeing a snake with, well, some kind of exotic wild cat that ate snakes.

They were still there when he left to walk Betty home.

Jughead shivered on the walk back to Pop’s, thinking about invasions. The invasion at the cabin, Chic, perhaps, and the invasion of the southside that no one but him seemed to see or care about. His dad would be working the night shift tonight. Better to wait for him here than go home and risk missing him. He was glad to find Toni still there at the counter, alone, and took the stool next to her.

“I missed you.”

Toni raised an eyebrow and fought back a smile. “I saw you yesterday.”

“It’s been a long day. Was I hallucinating earlier or were you on a date with Cheryl Blossom?”

"It wasn't a date."

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry she tried to ruin your weekend. Is that why you came back early? Are you and Betty—”

“That’s the least of our problems. I mean, we’re fine. We came back because we got robbed.”

Her eyes widened and she placed a comforting hand on his arm. It sent a jolt of warmth through him, and he wondered at it. Sitting in that booth with Betty, Archie, and Veronica, the moment had felt fragile, false. Toni had only been his friend for a short time, but the sight of her brought more relief than the best friend he wasn’t sure he knew anymore.

“Are you okay?”

He shrugged. “Did you hear Hiram Lodge bought Sunnyside?”

She furrowed her brows. “Why? Is he still kicking us out?”

“He’s forgiving out debts and cancelling the evictions, for now.”

“At least there’s that.”

“Not you, too.” He felt all the frustration and exhaustion of the day hitting him at once.

“What?”

“He’s the one who tried to push us out in the first place. You can’t think he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart.”

“It’s a reprieve, Jones. Excuse me for being glad my grandpa won’t be put out on the street by the end of the week.”

He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s just, my friends all think I’m crazy. Archie acts like Hiram walks on water.” Toni rolled her eyes like that didn’t surprise her. “Even Betty—”

He cut off, making Toni tilt her head at him. It didn’t feel right to talk about Betty to Toni. It wasn’t fair, anyway. Betty had been on his side in the end. As soon as Hiram went after her family and not just the southside.

“You warned me before the gauntlet that one day all my northside friends would be gone.”

She fixed her eyes on the counter in front of her.

“Maybe I was wrong about that.”

“No, you weren’t. They don’t care about us, Toni. No one here cares.”

“That’s not true. You can’t be cynical all the time.”

Her voice was small, vulnerable. It was something Toni rarely let people see. He was struck by a nagging worry.

“Look, about Cheryl. I don’t want this to sound wrong, but she can be, let's say, erratic.” He remembered her brief infatuation with Archie last fall, and how quickly she’d turned on him when Archie didn’t give her what she wanted.

Toni crossed her arms. “She’s been through a lot.”

“Believe me, I know. I was there when Archie pulled her out of Sweetwater River.”

“You don’t know everything.” He could tell he’d struck a nerve. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.

“Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I know you can take care of yourself. I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.”

“Who says I’m getting into anything?”

He shot her a look, but she didn’t break.

“You alright for tonight?”

“I’m just gonna stay here until midnight and then try to sneak in.”

“My offer still stands, you know, even though my dad’s back. He’s working tonight, you can have the bed.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Borrowing FP’s bed? It’s a little too weird.”

He was about to remind her she already had, but the words caught in his throat, conjuring up memories of her bare thighs under his t-shirt. Maybe it was a little too weird.

His dad arrived in high spirits. “Toni, did you hear? We’re saved!”

“Jughead was just telling me.” Toni shot him an amused look. He buried his head in his hands.

“Want another milkshake? I’ll buy. Coffee, Jug?”

“No thanks, FP.”

“I’m gonna head home, actually. See you in the morning, Dad.”

There was no point in trying to talk sense into his dad tonight. He had a mystery to solve, and he was running out of time.


	2. Welcome to the final show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl stalking Josie is treated like a big deal here, because it felt like a big deal to me.

Toni tapped her foot while he set up the camera. Her sneakers were topped by giant blue pom-poms. The sight of her in a River Vixens uniform was still jarring to him, but Toni said he put too much value in aesthetics.

"So, Toni Topaz, why did you decide to be in the musical?"

"I’m always looking for more extracurriculars that aren’t a front for gang activity."

"Toni!" he scolded, shutting off the camera. She laughed, unrepentant.

"What about you? Why’d you take a break from dying on every hill you can find to follow us around?"

He shrugged. "Kevin asked. And everyone’s doing it."

" _Now_ you’re a pack animal. Well, Sweet Pea is not a part of everyone. He says it’s lame. Fangs is trying to convince him to be in the ensemble. He told him people will hardly even see him."

"Right, Sweet Pea never sticks out in a crowd." He chewed his lip. "Speaking of fake extracurriculars."

"Oh, yeah, sorry I haven’t been around much the last few weeks. Cheryl kept moving Vixen practice."

"You’d think she wants you all to herself."

Toni went oddly still.

"What? I was just kidding."

"You know how you warned me about Cheryl?"

He winced. "I’m sorry about that. I know it’s none of my business."

"No. I mean, you might have had a point. It turns out she kind of stalked her best friend."

"Veronica?" However he felt about her right now, the thought disturbed him.

"The Pussycat girl, Josie. She sent her a pig’s heart, if you can believe it."

"I’ve known Cheryl since kindergarten. I can believe that."

She looked down at her knees and smoothed out the creases of her cheerleading skirt. "Also, I kissed her."

"Before you found out?"

"After."

"What? Why?"

"It was a crazy day, okay? Her mom had her locked up in this messed up nunnery for _conversion therapy_. I mean, no matter what she did, no one deserves that. Then when I found her, it was just this heat of the moment thing."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I don’t know. Maybe it’s crazy, but I do like her. She just didn’t know how to express how she felt in a healthy way. You don’t know what it’s like to have to repress part of yourself like that."

"I guess not. But a pig heart? Threatening someone you’re supposed to love?"

"Cheryl does everything in extremes."

"You know if she does anything like that to you, Fogarty can have the Blossoms looking for a third mansion to live in."

"That’s not funny, Jones. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not afraid of Cheryl Blossom."

…

Josie McCoy sat alone at lunch.

Cheryl was regaling a new crowd with the story of her imprisonment and triumphant rebirth. It seemed to be Cheryl’s way of coping. Kevin Keller sat with them, occasionally interjecting when the story involved him. So did Veronica Lodge, because she was fighting with Jughead, which was awkward because Toni was mostly on Jughead's side, but Veronica had helped her with Cheryl. At Southside High sitting at the wrong table could get you beaten up, but it might be even more complicated here.

Toni spotted Josie staring daggers at them from across the room. She looked away when caught.

Cheryl cupped her cheek. "Is something wrong, my darling knight in leather armor? You look distracted."

Her touch was soft, and her gaze adoring, but the corners of her long red nails dug into her skin.

She asked Jughead about it later. "Wasn’t Josie some kind of local rock star?"

"The band broke up."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It was while I was at Southside."

"So around when Cheryl was stalking her." A thought settled in the pit of her stomach, cold and heavy. "I feel like a terrible person."

"Toni, you broke into an institution and rescued a distressed damsel. You are the closest thing this town has to Batman."

She shook her head. "Josie’s never been anything but nice to me. Everyone’s fascinated by Cheryl’s gothic tragedy, but no one seems to care how she feels." 

"You care."

…

She leaned back in her chair as Josie and Cheryl prepared to rehearse their duet. It seemed cruel to cast Josie as Carrie’s biggest supporter. She wondered if Kevin had known what Cheryl did to her. She wondered if Cheryl had asked him to do it.

Josie shifted on her feet, her hands clasping and unclasping in front of her. She started her verse, and then Cheryl stopped her.

"I can’t do this! I can’t have you hating me while we’re singing a song about friendship."

Toni looked around the audience. Was Cheryl really doing this in front of everyone? Josie looked mortified as Cheryl begged her forgiveness, but they finished the song. They hugged at the end, and all their friends clapped.

She approached Josie after rehearsal. "I thought that was really brave, forgiving Cheryl. It must have been hard."

Josie sighed and shrugged one shoulder. "It was easier, really. I don’t want to be the jerk who ruined the musical. And I have to believe in second chances. I used to be kind of a diva."

"I heard about what happened with your friends. What if it wasn’t your fault?"

She gave a short, hollow laugh. "Oh, I know Cheryl had something to do with it. She found this agent, kept pushing me to go solo. Then some _mysterious person_ put notes in Val and Mel’s lockers ratting me out. It was so obvious, I don’t know how I didn’t see it at the time. But I still said yes. And really, it was just the last straw for them."

Toni felt sick. When she’d found out, she’d been so focused on making sure Cheryl was safe, she had hardly thought about Josie. She’d only been disappointed to lose her help.

She put a hand on Josie’s shoulder. "Look, what Cheryl did to you wasn’t a punishment. It was just the product of whatever messed up things were going on in her head. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. You know that, right?"

Josie nodded slightly, then gripped her bag and gestured towards the door. "We should probably go to class sometime this year," she joked, retreating from the conversation. 

This hadn’t made her feel any better. Selfishly, that was what she had been hoping for, so she could be with Cheryl like she wanted. She didn’t feel like a hero at all.

…

Watching Betty and Archie sing didn’t make him jealous. At least, it didn’t make him jealous of _Archie_.

There was a time when he’d felt invisible in their group. He was the third wheel in the inevitable romance of Betty and Archie. Even when Veronica had arrived and instantly become a vital part of their lives, he hadn’t expected that to change. It was a classic American story: the girl next door, the boy she loved, and the girl he loved. He was just there to watch it play out.

Now he was too visible, too loud, too angry. Archie wanted to make things right between Betty and Veronica. Betty wanted to give in. They’d all be happy and together if not for him. If they were a powder keg, he’d been the match.

He didn’t want to be the reason Betty lost her best friend. God knows she needed people to lean on right now. But it wasn’t just about him. He had other friends now, who had stood out in the cold with him, who would lose everything too if the Lodges weren’t stopped. How could their homes, his home, be so trivial to the people he loved most?

…

Jughead leaned against the doorframe of the Blue and Gold.

"So you and Veronica were fighting, then you weren’t, then you were fighting again, and now you’re not?"

Betty laughed. "That's about it. We have our differences, but it’s not worth ending a good friendship."

This was the part where they could all be friends again. Everything could go back to normal. The four of them in a booth at Pop’s.

"Is she still going to campaign for her mother?"

"You can’t expect her to just stop supporting her family."

"Archie did it. He thought demolishing the southside to build a prison was such a great idea he turned on his own father."

She crossed her arms. "I just don’t want to be mad at them anymore. Do you have a problem with that?"

He didn’t want to be mad, either. There was nothing he wanted more than to have Archie on his side again. Since the protest Archie had been cheerfully polite to him, like there was nothing wrong, like he didn’t even care.

"I do, actually, yeah. Are you with us or not?"

She reeled back. "Us? Wow."

"When Hiram wants his prison filled to pad his bottom line, it’s not going to be northsiders brought in on trumped up charges."

She scoffed.

"I am not being paranoid! The Sheriff is happy to do Hiram’s bidding. My dad is on parole, for god’s sake. It's like one day I think you understand what's at stake, and the next you don't even care. I'm tired of trying to explain. I’m done being friends with people who think taking my home away is just politics. I'm just done."

…

He'd picked a fight, pushed her away, like he always did. But as he thought about it, he realized he'd meant everything he'd said. He didn’t regret any of it. Except maybe that they still had one more rehearsal to get through.

He ran into Toni in the hallway.

"What’s new?"

"I broke up with Betty," he said lightly. He was a few steps ahead of her before he noticed she’d stopped.

"What? Why? Didn’t you just get back together?"

"I thought you didn’t like Betty."

"I want you to be happy, because you’re my friend," she said slowly, like she was afraid he didn’t understand the concept. "And I want you to make up your mind, because the Ross and Rachel shit is annoying."

"But you don’t like her."

She rolled her eyes. "She told me she only wants to hang out with the Serpents to protect you from dangerous waters."

"Cheryl called us scum and said we should be kicked out of school."

"So we’re even then. I don’t like your girlfriend and you don’t like mine."

"Ex-girlfriend."

"Right. Actually, I’m going to tell Cheryl I can’t be with her. I thought I could deal with some darkness, but all of this is, I don’t know. It’s just too dark."

"That word is starting to lose all meaning. Are you nervous?"

"I’m a pro at letting people down easy, remember?"

…

Neither Cheryl nor Toni were at rehearsal the next day. The first was quickly explained, as Kevin announced that Cheryl had been forced out of the musical by her mother, which had surely made her furious.

"Kev, do you know where Toni is?"

"Probably off consoling her lady love."

"Right. Obviously," he said, trying not to sound worried. Judging by Kevin’s raised eyebrow, it wasn’t working.

"Last I saw Cheryl was by the gym bleachers."

Toni looked up when he pushed open the doors to the gym, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. She relaxed slightly when she saw it was him.

"Hey. You have great timing."

"I’m not a River Vixen anymore."

He sat on the bleachers next to her.

"I’m sorry."

She looked up at him, resting her cheek in her hand. "Are you?"

"Of course. You’re my friend."

"It feels like everyone only cares about what I can do for them. They’ll pretend I matter to them as long as they need me, and then I might as well not exist. My uncle doesn't want me around. My parents—" she broke off as a tear fell down her cheek. "If I stand up for myself I'm a bitch. I try to put other people first, try to be good enough so that someone will want me to stay."

"You are the best person I know, Toni. I mean it." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned her head against him. 

"It’s stupid, but I really liked being a cheerleader. When I wore that uniform, I felt like I belonged here."


	3. We gotta get away from here

She couldn’t look away from his shoulder.

She’d felt such a thrill, when she'd given him that tattoo. She’d etched a tiny crown above the snake’s head, just to make him laugh. That seemed impossibly juvenile now, so stupid.

She was going to be sick. She was sick, stumbling just a few steps towards the trees before puking in the grass. She should have known. He would never give up, never stop fighting for them, not unless he had a plan. _I don’t want us to die_ , he’d said. Damn him. Fangs was dead, and now Jughead.

A crashing noise behind her broke through her haze. Sweet Pea had kicked over a trash can, setting a patch of dry, brown grass alight.

"We should have killed her," he spat.

When she looked around, FP and Jughead were gone. Right. The hospital. They had to get to the hospital. She spotted a bike laying on its side in the grass, and the helmet discarded a few feet away.

"Someone needs to take FP’s bike for him," she called out to Sweet Pea.

She'd have to get a ride back later to retrieve her own, but FP shouldn’t have to come back here ever again.

…

They had barely arrived at the hospital when everyone started talking about leaving. Sweet Pea was especially eager to fight, and when Sweet Pea was fired up about something, people tended to listen. Even though it was almost always a bad idea to listen to Sweet Pea when he was pissed.

"You'll stay here, Toni," FP told her.

"What? Like hell I will."

"Toni," he said harshly. "Someone needs to stay here, be here for Jug."

"Then it should be you. He needs you, and you're abandoning him."

He stormed off. Her heart was racing. She had never spoken to FP like that before.

She went back inside Jughead’s room. It was quiet now, just the beeping and hissing of machines. She sank into a chair and leaned her head back against the cool window. Raindrops beat against the glass.

"You’re a real idiot, Jones. Did you think we’d just let them get away with it?"

Tears pricked at her eyes. She hated crying in front of people, would always try to hold it together until she was alone. She looked at Jughead’s motionless face. The tears fell.

"I’m sick of living in a Shakespearian tragedy. Everyone running around trying to avenge each other. You’d better wake up, because I'm not telling your story for you. Don’t make me be your Horatio."

A nurse knocked on the doorframe. She sat upright and dried her tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is Mr. Jones here?"

"No, he just left. What is it?"

"I thought someone should update him on Mr. Fogarty's condition."

"What do you mean, condition?"

…

Fangs was alive. She didn't believe it until she finally stepped into his room, but there he was, out of surgery, sitting up in bed, and alive.

"You want to know something stupid? I thought we were safe from shit like that, at the new school. Getting handcuffed and shoved around. I thought they wouldn't want to scare the northside kids."

"No matter where we go, we’re still southside. They'll never let us forget it."

"I really wanted to forget. I almost did, for a while. You were out there protesting with Jughead and Sweet Pea and the rest. What was I doing?"

"Hey, you were living your life. There's nothing wrong with that. Where is Sweets, anyway? And Jones?"

"Um, Jughead's here. They'll both visit you as soon as they can." 

If they ever could. Maybe she could get them to move Fangs so he and Jughead could be roommates. And then put FP and Sweet Pea in the room next door, if they didn't come back in body bags. Exhaustion weighed on her. She failed to stifle a yawn. 

"Sorry, I really need to find some coffee."

"You need some sleep, Antoinette. You should find an empty room and crash. These beds are comfier than they look."

She laughed. "I'll take your word for it."

…

_She leaned in slowly, unsure, offering comfort. He turned to meet her lips eagerly._

_"Can I stay?" she asked when they parted, her voice breathy._

_"Will you stay?" he asked at the same time. They laughed._

_He set down the ice pack, revealing the gash on his cheekbone. Damn Sweet Pea and his brass knuckles. If he left a scar on that face, she'd have to punch him._

_"Please stay," she whispered._

_He kissed her again, so softly._

_"I'm sorry."_

_She looked up and his eye was swollen shut. They hadn't hit him that hard. The tattoo she'd just given him was gone and there was blood—_

She woke up with a start. When had she fallen asleep? She was back in Jughead's room. The rain had stopped, and the sun was rising. They would be coming back soon, if they were coming back.

She found Sweet Pea in the lobby, drenched, a bruise forming under his eye, but otherwise alright. She punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could.

"Jesus. What the hell, Toni?"

"Fangs is alive."

"What?"

"You would have known that if you could have just stayed put for half an hour, but you decided to run off and try to die for him like an idiot."

Sweet Pea grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Toni, go back. Fangs is alive? Where is he?"

On the way up she asked him, "How screwed are we?"

"It's not good. They set Sunnyside on fire. About half the trailers are still standing."

"Shit. My grandpa?"

"He's fine. But FP said everyone who can get out should get out."

"Are you leaving?"

"Nah, you're stuck with me. Don't know where I'd go."

…

The day Jughead woke up, they got permission to wheel Fangs up to his room.

"You just had to steal my thunder, Jones, didn’t you?"

He broke out into a grin. "Fangs. They told me you were alive. It didn't feel real." 

"Alive and kicking."

"I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

"Hey, you just said I wouldn't die."

"I thought you had. I thought I'd failed." His face crumpled. "I love all of you so much."

"You are on a lot of pain medication, Jones," Toni said.

"No, I need you to understand. When they were—when it was happening—" He was struggling not to cry.

"Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s over." She stroked his hair. "We love you, too. Even Sweet Pea."

Sweet Pea scowled at her.

"That was badass, what you did for us," he said. "Never do anything like that again."

Jughead caught her hand as they were leaving.

"When my shoulder’s healed, I want you to fix my tattoo."

"That’s what you’re thinking about right now? I'm not sure it's a good idea to poke any more holes in you."

"Promise you’ll do it. Just how it was. I want it to be like this never happened."

"You'd have to wait a long time before I can. I could do it on your other shoulder instead."

He deliberated. "I guess the other shoulder's close enough."

She leaned down and pressed a feather light kiss to his forehead. "Good night, sweet prince."

…

She knocked before letting herself in with the spare key under the gnome. A terrible hiding place, but somehow it had survived the Ghoulies' rampage. Jughead was halfway to the door, leaning unsteadily on a single crutch with his good arm.

"You okay on that?"

"I can get from one room to another. Trailer's not very wheelchair accessible." 

He made it back to the couch and collapsed. She joined him.

"You're just in time," he added bitterly. "My dad wants to move us to Toledo. Says it's time to cut and run."

She'd been expecting it, but hearing the words felt like being doused in ice water.

"Of course. You can't stay here, obviously."

He looked up at her, surprised. "You think I should go?"

"They almost killed you. Hiram is walking around a free man. He owns the cops. You’re not safe."

"I'm not a coward. I'm not abandoning the Serpents."

"No offense, you’re not much good to us right now," she said gently.

"So much for my brilliant plan to save everyone." He sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. "You're right. Now's not the time to be—"

She kissed him before he could finish.

"—romantic."

"I didn't mean we won't miss you. But you need to rest. You need to heal. Go for the summer, at least." 

"A lot can change in a few months."

"You could forget all about me," she said with a wry smile.

He shook his head. "You know, just once I'd like to kiss you when I don't have broken ribs."

"Then I guess you'll have to come back." She ghosted her fingertips over his cheek, settling on an unbruised part of his jaw. "Just go for the summer, then come back to me."

"Alright. It's a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when Jughead... died... and no one really cared that much, and then he just got out of bed and started running around like nothing happened? That was so funny. No one who writes Riverdale fic should ever worry about something not making sense.


End file.
